Homeward Bound
by TaleHeart
Summary: What exactly happened during that time Genie was touring the world? Why did he come back home at all? Well, sometimes you don't relize how much you miss someone until your on your own. And Genie learns that thinking about Aladdin & Co. back home...Rated T
1. Chapter 1

**Homeward Bound**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Aladdin or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Disney. I only own my imagination.**

_**A/N: This just popped into my head the other day when I was watching Aladdin (#1 of course. B 3) so it'll be a little choppy at first, seeing as I have no clear plan for this, unlike my KFP story. But, enjoy!**_

**Chap.1**

_ Genie's POV_

"Hey! You stop! **THEIF!**"

I sidestepped quickly to avoid the brown streak, then again for the not-so-streak like shape of the vendor. The thief, a boy of about of about 10 years or so, shot a look of gratitude my direction before disappearing into an alley.

"Why didn't you stop him? That little street rat made off with some of my wares!" The vendor was puffing in a mixture of anger and lack of oxygen when he finally stumbled back to the wall I had partaken to leaning against.

"I was meditating, so I did not notice him go by." I spoke in a placating tone, hoping to calm the angry man.

"How could you not have seen him? You had to step clear to the side to avoid him!" He pointed out, catching me in a sticky situation.

"Well," I said, thinking fast, "Whatever the case may have been, I'll gladly pay for the items you lost."

This seemed to do the trick, for the man stopped this glaring and proceeded to count up the amount for the few vegetables the boy had swiped. Matching his over-inflated price, I even managed to eke out a 'Thank you.' From him when I bought a potato in addition to the stolen food.

I'm getting ahead of myself again, I'm Genie, former servant and current best friend to the hero of Agrabah: Aladdin, or as I affectionately call him, Al. Now you're probably wondering: 'Genie? Former servant? Aladdin? Genie? Hero? Agrabah? Genie?'

So, let me give you a quick rundown of the scene in this shin-dig; I am-was- the genie of the lamp, a magical being with phenomenal, cosmic abilities. Sounds cool, right? Here's the catch…

_**A/N: So, watcha' think? Yes…no? This is a more serious side of Genie, which I think is the side that gets overlooked a lot, so I decided to bring it to light. Please R&R people!**_ _**Thx!**_


	2. Limits and Laws

Homeward Bound

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Aladdin or its affiliated characters, as those belong to Disney. And I do not mean anything by referencing the late Walt Disney, I'm only mentioning him to add color to the story. I own nothing! I'm innocent! ; p**

_**To Bookworm Gal: Yea, I think it's high time Genie was taken seriously. And thanks for the luck, I'll need it.**_

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't written in like, AGES, but I been really busy with summer English projects; and was unable to get to this so sorry.**_

_**This chappie is basically a run through of all the limitations to a genie's power and what Genie opinion is of them. So, if you've heard this list enough times, you can skip this chapter, it won't hurt too badly.**_

**Chap.2: Limits and Laws**

_(End of Chap1…)_

_[… I am –was- the genie of the lamp, a magical being with phenomenal, cosmic abilities. Sounds cool, right? Here's the catch…]_

I am-was- bound to the lamp and was forced to grant three wishes to whoever rubbed my lamp, whether that wish is glory, money, weapons, eternal life, etcetera.

But, there are limits to my powers: I can't kill anyone, thank GOD, and believe me, if I had that power, several of my former masters would DEFINETLY have caused some major genocide and carnage.

Another limit is that I can't make anyone fall in love; this is a slightly more difficult law to abide by, as I am always the helping type. I can give my mast all the tools for a steamy night out, but I can't take the plunge for them; that is something they would have to do on their own.

My buddy Al is the one person most familiar with this rule, as he had to work around it to win the heart of his true love: Jasmine, the fiery, beautiful, compassionate princess of Agrabah. I personally think that he didn't even need the whole 'Prince Ali' entourage to get close to her (In fact, I _know_ Aladdin didn't need to act to win Jasmine's heart, but don't tell him that. Also, the 'Ali' scheme was all explained in the previous story, so if you want info on that background, hunt down the storyteller who goes by the name of Walt*, he'll be more than happy to tell you.)

Anyways, you can probably see the trouble that comes with that little entrée.

The last limit to my power is by far the most painful and heartbreaking: I can't bring people back from the dead. I can't even begin to count how many times I've both blessed and cursed this rule.

I've had everyone and their brothers ask me to play the Grim Reaper for them: mothers who lost their sons to war, bandits whose king was killed in battle, and so, so many others.

And I have to turn them all down. That gets _really_ depressing _really_ fast, add an eternity of servitude to a piece of tin with a floor space of less than 3 inches by 1 inch, and most people would lose it. Me, I always look on the bright side, even if I have to fake it, I'm always the funny guy.

_**A/N: **_

_***This is a reference to Walt Disney, NOT an author named Walt, so please do not go looking for him.**_

_**So what do you think? I wanted to try an angle where Genie accepts the limits of his powers but is slightly bitter towards them, and I have no idea if I scored it or not. So drop me a review and let me know so I can improve please (that means critical reviews are welcome). **_


	3. Being Free

Homeward Bound

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Aladdin or its affiliated characters, as those belong to Disney.**

**To neeny16: Thanks, I agree, those limitations would make anyone bitter.**

_**A/N: Okay, I'm gonna try to post more often and make my chapters longer, but no promises. **_

_**This chappie is the last of the explanation chapters (hopefully) so if you **__**really**__** want to, you can skip.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chap.3: Being Free<strong>

_(End of Chap2…)_

_[Me, I always look on the bright side, even if I have to fake it, I'm always the funny guy.]_

I'm getting ahead of myself again; I forgot to explain how I got the title of 'former' servant. Well, the only way a genie can be free of their prison is for their master to wish them free, which is a very rare and precious occurrence.

Luckily, I had one of the best masters in the world, and Aladdin willingly risked his chances of staying with Jasmine to set me free.

So here I am, a free genie out touring the world at leisure and not having to stay in that cramped lamp 24/7; I still have it though, 'cause Al gave it to me (*_koff_*forced it on me *_koff, koff_*) for a keepsake right before I left. Which, incidentally turned out to be a stroke of good fortune, because it serves as my quarters when all the inns are full.

Hmmm..? Fine…one more question, but that's it; if you have any more you seriously need to find that storyteller I spoke of earlier.

Back to the question… why can't I just poof up my own inn if I'm an all-powerful, cosmic genie? Sigh…you see, once a genie is freed, the concentration of power that courses through them diminishes, thus making them semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic.

In short, things I could've done easily in the past now leave me slightly tired and the really tough stuff either drains all my power for a time or I can't perform the task at all.

On the bright side, I don't even WANT to use my powers that much right now; I want to get the full experience of globe-trotting, even if it means making my skin a light tan and shrinking my height to 6' 1".

As you can probably guess, with those little cosmetic changes and a new ensemble, I can pass off for an average, everyday traveler passin' through town. Well… most of the time it lets me pass as human; I still have the occasional run-in with someone sharp enough to tell that I'm not entirely what I appear to be, and boy, those people scare me to death. I mean, think about it, if they knew I was a genie and they had even two years of mage training in them, I'd be back in my lamp, a slave once again.

Anyhoo, now you're all caught up on the current scenario, so let's go back to the present…shall we?

_**A/N: That was not one of my better chapters, but I promise to try to make them longer! R&R please, and remember CRITICAL REVEIWS ARE WELCOME.**_

_**God bless, TaleHeart**_


	4. Calotus

Homeward Bound

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Aladdin or its affiliated characters, as those belong to Disney. I only own the Silver Sky event and the innkeeper Calotus.**

_**A/N: Sigh… longer chapters are so hard to come by these days… as are reviews*hint, hint*… On with the story!**_

_***PS My version of Genie's human name will be mentioned and explained in this chappie, I mean, we can't have everyone call him Genie without any suspicion, right?***_

**Chap.4: Calotus**

_(End of Chap3…)_

_[Anyhoo, now you're all caught up on the current scenario, so let's go back to the present…shall we?]_

**Back at the Marketplace-**

After the unfortunate event with the veggie vendor, I made my way back through town to the tiny, modest inn I've called home for the past three days and naturally, the moment I stepped through the door I was hailed by Calotus, the affable, grey- haired, fifty- something Scot who runs the inn.

"Hey there Joel, you went to the market again I see. You'd better be careful; people will begin to think that you're up to no good if you keep lurking around in those alleys, ha-ha!" Calotus had the huskiest voice I had ever heard, and I've heard a LOT of voices in my time.

"If the townsfolk think I'm up to no good Calotus, then I'd hate to hear what they think of you and all these boisterous parties you've been planning!" I shot back, placing my single potato in the storage bin before facing him full-on.

"Ack mon, that hurt!" Calotus chuckled, hand over his heart. "But point taken, I have had several gatherings this moon, who wouldn't? It's nearing Silver Sky after all."

Silver Sky happens once every year right after harvesting time but before the re-tilling of the soil. It's a strange celestial aurora, which is caused by a mixture of pollen, dust, and the light of the full – and sometimes harvest – moon. The dust and pollen are stirred up into the air during the harvest and take a long time to settle; so when the moonlight filters through it, it creates a shimmering, silver glow across the sky, very much like the Northern Lights but more subtle.

"Back to business now, laddie, will you be stayin' another few nights? Or will you be movin' out in the morn like you mentioned?" Calotus asked, curiosity and concern both in equal measure evident in his tone.

"I'm afraid I'm going to be leaving tomorrow morning as planned." I sighed, and then brightened. "But you can lay your fears to rest Cal; I promise I won't go hunting for bandits and hooligans once I set out." I couldn't help but chuckle at the last bit, but Calotus still looked stern.

"Whether you go looking for them or not, you need to keep your wits about you Joel; we Scots have a natural gift for sensing someone's character, and you're one of the kindest souls I've met in ages. So believe me when I say that I don't want you to be taken advantage of." Calotus sighed and rubbed his temples before continuing. "I've been around a lot longer than you have laddie, so I know how tricky people can be."

"Thank you for your concern Cal, I'll keep it in mind on my travels." I said, smiling and bidding the innkeeper goodnight before heading over to the staircase.

As I ascended the steps towards my room, I overheard Calotus muttering under his breath. "'Cal' huh? I like it; it's better than Calotus anyway…"

I mentally berated myself for calling Calotus by the short form of his name; the first three letters of his name are too dang close to Al's for me not to. Oh well, at least he liked it.

Speaking of names, I almost forgot to explain the idea behind the alias I have chosen to go by: Joel or G.O.L stands for Genie Of the Lamp; corny, I know, but it was the only name I could come up with that I could remember.

**In Genie's Room -**

I lay back against the headboard of my small, yet comfortable bed; thinking about how Calotus would always refer to me as 'laddie' and how he believed that he outranked me in age. Ha! If only he knew, because in actuality, I am about 10,945 years his senior.

Yea, I already had 1,000 years under my belt before I got trapped in the Cave of Wonders for another 10,000 of 'em. Jeez, that makes me feel OLD compared to humans, and I'm only 21 or so by genie standards.

As I began to drift off to sleep, my thoughts turned to the young street rat I had covered for earlier today. Man, that must be a hard life, having to hide and steal just to avoid starving to death; you can never really open up to anyone, and you can't be seen for more than a heartbeat, lest you get the authorities called on ya. And my little buddy actually lived that life until he got trapped in that cave and rubbed my lamp; my heart hurts just thinking about it.

Tomorrow, before I leave town, I'm going to give that boy some food, cloth, and coin; at least then he'll have some provisions against the upcoming cold nights.

I was just getting on to figuring out just what kind of food to give him when Morpheus came and took me by surprise, aka, I fell asleep before I knew what hit me. Typical. But, typical shouldn't even be a word after what I've lived through, or dreamed through, for that matter.

_**A/N: How was that? Just so you know, I pulled the 'Silver Sky' idea out of my hat; as far as I know, there is no such occurrence like that except for the Northern Lights. Joel (or GOL) is a rather corny name for a genie, but I couldn't think of anything else that didn't sound silly or odd.**_

_**R&R please, constructive criticism, remember.**_

_**God bless, TaleHeart**_


	5. Nightmare

Homeward Bound

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Aladdin or its affiliated characters, as those belong to Disney.**

**To **_**Bookworm Gal**_** AND **_**Akozu Heiwa**_** AND **_**Ifbookswerefood-I'dbefat**_**: Thank you all, and here's a new chappie for ya!**

**To _Blackmoondragon1415_: Thank you SO much for pointing out that inconsistancy! Kudos!**

**A/N: Sorry! I know I said I would try to update sooner, but I just got back from camp and this is the first chance I've had to update, so sorry about that. This is an idea I had on a nightmare Genie would most likely have, and uh… that's it. On with the Chapter!**

**PS I'v also changed one part due to the fact I accidentaly used a 'Return of Jafar' reference, this was pointed out by the author above, so if you read the story earlier you will notice a slight change in rereading it.**

'_**Italics…' **_**= Genie's thoughts**

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><p><strong>Chap.5. Nightmare<strong>

"Genie, help! HELP!"

Aladdin! That was my master's voice, no mistaking it.

"I'm coming pal, but where are you?" My voice sounded panicky even to me as I searched desperately through the fog-enshrouded town, trying to locate Al.

'_Why is it so empty here? Why would Al even be in this village anyway?' _These were the thoughts that flitted through my mind as I ran past alley after alley.

"Al, where are you? Answer me!" My shouts seemed muffled in the fog, but Aladdin had fallen silent.

"He can't call to you anymore, laddie."

A voice behind me caused me to whirl around in fright, revealing that Calotus had sneaked up in my shadow, silent as a ghost.

"W-what do you mean?"

His voice was eerily calm and soft as he spoke, "He grows ever more weary as you toil here genie, and soon all hope will be lost…" With that he dissolved into mist and disappeared.

'_Too late? No! I havta find Al!"_

With a surge of adrenaline I plunged into the tiny town square and suddenly found myself back in Agrabah Palace; the sight before me shook my very core.

The Sultan was half-sprawled on his throne, a small trickle of blood running down his lips and into his beard.

"Sultan?" No mistaking that panic now.

"Jasmine?Abu, Carpet?" even as I said their names my eyes found them; my heart and stomach choosing to drop out my shoes rather than stick around.

Abu was hopelessly tangled in a suffocating net suspended high above the floor; Carpet lay in the middle of the room, shredded and torn. And Jasmine… oh, Jasmine… I couldn't even bear to look at my best friend's love laying in a broken heap, her form unnaturally still, a defensive dagger still resting in her limp hand.

Chocking back sobs of horror; I turned to the balcony and saw something that made the memory of the throne room completely leave my mind: Aladdin, my master and most trusted friend, was dangling by his throat in the grip of none other than Jafar, the most evil man-turned-genie to ever live.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A soft hearted, weak minded, pathetic excuse for a genie, here to save his little friends?"

Jafar's sneering voice brought back terrible memories of when he tried to take over Agrabah, once as a man, the next as a genie.

'_But Aladdin and I imprisoned him, how can he back?' _

"Genie… run…"

Al's weak voice snapped me out of my reverie, and without thinking I yelled, "No way, pal!" and shot a bolt of pure energy at Jafar, hitting him dead in the chest.

My first thought was that he was destroyed, but when the smoke cleared he was still very much alive.

"So, a magic test, hmmm? Very well then, _my_ turn." And with that he shot a bolt of power my direction, nailing me in the side when I tried to dodge and then pinning me to the wall with shackles when I tried to roll out of the way.

Winded and barely conscious, I was forced to watch as Jafar continued to torture Aladdin.

"Do you give up yet, boy?" Jafar squeezed just a little tighter, making Al gasp for air as he continued to struggle against the hand wrapped around his air pipe.

"Never!"

My heart swelled hearing Al defy Jafar, but his voice was so strained…

"So be it, you've had your chance!" Jafar threw Al down onto the tile floor and drew his blade, a long, thin, half-hand sword used only by spell-casters.

The moment I saw that sword I was on my feet, even before Aladdin's cry of, "Genie, help me!" filled the air.

I conjured a protective shield and shot it at Al at the exact same moment Jafar threw his sword.

In seemingly slow motion the items traveled toward their shared target, one going faster than the other, and before I could react, the long, cold blade planted itself in Aladdin's chest.

"Al!" My scream cut through the silence like glass, but I couldn't stop what was happening.

Al looked down, shocked by the sword protruding from his chest, before slowly turning to look at me; he whispered, "Genie… I… you…" before his eyes lost their glow and he fell, lifeless.

Tears rolled freely down my face as my fractured mind realized that those three, blood-soaked, broken words would be the last thing my friend and master would ever say to me.

"Now, back to business." Jafar.

"How?" My voice was rough, devoid of emotion. "How did you break our greatest law?"

"You mean _your _law, for I am something even more powerful than a genie."

Jafar smiled, like he was a cat with a mouse in its claws.

"Which means I am more powerful than _you_," My blood chilled when Jafar said those words, I knew they were true, but it was the infliction he put in them that made me dread what was to come.

"It also means I can do _THIS_!" Jafar pointed at me, and suddenly I felt a burning agony rip through my body, concentrating around my wrists.

'_No, it can't be…' _Prying my eyes open ('_when did I shut them?_') I saw two gold bands manifest around my wrists.

"I am your master now, _slave_." Jafar growled, and I felt myself being drawn into my lamp, the agony coursing through my body only increasing as I neared it.

"NOOOO…" I screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed, my cries still forcing their way past my throat.

_**A/N: Gah, I'm tired… So, how was it? Was it good or did it totally bomb? You know the drill ppl, R&R to let me know what you think, and as always critical reviews are welcome. I can't make it better if I don't know what you want, you know, haha!**_

_**Peace, TaleHeart**_


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